Mechanism for opening and closing hinged windows and the like



June -7, 1938. J. FJX-WILLIAMS ,9

MECHANISM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING HINGED WINDOWS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 7, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 f/nfi 5 E ,4 4

f 3, I (I v I 0 F a'- r Fax- 1444 W- June 7, 1938. J. FOX-WILLIAMS 2,119,911 MECHANISM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING HINGED WINDOWS AND THE LIKE Filed Sept. 7, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f/ ax- VI Patented June 7, 1938 UNlTED STATES MIECHANISM FOR OPENING AND CLOSING HINGED WINDOWS AND THE LIKE Jack Fox-William s, London, England Application September 7, 1937, Serial No. 162,816

In Great Britain September 16, 1936 s 8 Claims. (01. 268119) This invention relates to mechanism for opening and closing hinged windows, shutters and like hinged members (hereinafter referred to for the sake of convenience as windows) of the kind in which one end of a bar acts on the window while the other end is acted upon by suitable operating mechanism arranged to move the bar so as to open and close the window.

The invention is particularly but not exclusively intended to be applied to windows for use, for example, in tropical countries where a fixed insect screen is provided on the inside of the window to exclude insects when the window is open. In such windows it has previously been proposed to secure to the under side of the lower horizontal member of the frame supporting the glass, hereinafter referred to as the window frame, a guide of channel section in which is arranged to slide a metal plate which is connected by a pivot to the adjacent end of the bar while the other end of the bar is pivoted to the window sill or other fixed part and is formed with or rigidly secured to a toothed quadrant engaged by a worm adapted to be rotated by a handle so that rotation of the handle causes the bar to swing about its pivot to open or close the window, the plate sliding in the channel section member.

With such an arrangement it is necessary to leave between the lower horizontal member of the window frame and the corresponding member of the surrounding frame a space sufiicient to accommodate the channel section member, the bar and the pivot connecting the bar to the sliding plate, and it is an object of the present invention to provide improved operating mechanism for windows and other hinged members which, when applied to windows, will allow of a smaller clearance being left between the lower horizontal member of the window frame and the corresponding member of the surrounding frame than was possible with the previous arrangement referred to above.

To this end according to the present invention mechanism of the kind referred to for opening and closing hinged windows, shutters and like hinged members comprises an operating bar one end of. which is adapted to be pivotally connected to the lower peripheral face of the upper or lower to lie at least partly in the space between this member and the corresponding member of the horizontal member of the window frame so as only to apply an endwise force to the bar when the position of the window is such that movement of the bar to'open or close it will be mainly in the endwise direction, but also to apply a force tending to cause the bar to swing outwards or inwards when the position of the window is such that movement of the bar to open or close the window will be mainly a swinging movement, that is to say during that part of the opening or closing movement of the window when the longitudinal axis of the bar passes through or close to the axis of the window hinges.

Thus, when the window is in such a position that a purely endwise force applied to the bar would not readily move the Window about its hinges, the operating mechanism will apply a force tending to cause the bar toswing outwards or inwards for this purpose while .at other times movement of the window will be caused mainly by an endwise forcejapplied to the bar by the operating mechanism.

The operating mechanism maybe constructed and arranged in various ways. In one arrangement, however, there is formed or rigidly mounted onthe end of the bar remote from that pivoted to the window a toothed rack engaged by a pinion or worm adapted to be rotated by hand-operated mechanism, and means, for example pin and slot mechanism, which controls the movement of this end of the bar in such a manner as to maintain the toothed rack always inengagement with the pinion or worm while permitting .the required endwise and swinging movements of the bar. Thus, the pinion acts through the rack'to apply to the bar a force which, during part of its movement, tends to cause what is mainly a swinging movement about a point adjacent to the pinion and during the other part of its movement is mainly an endwise movement of the bar.

Thus, in one such arrangement where the pivotal axis of the window lies on the side of the plane thereof towards which the window opens, the toothed rack would be formed so that on' initial rotation of the gear wheel or worm to open the window a force is applied to the bar to move it endwise in one direction and also to cause it to swing outwards about a point adjacent to the pinion while thereafter the force will tend to move the bar endwise in the opposite direction,

passed through the axis of the window hinges.

A construction of the above type according to the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view partly in section of one 3,

that the pinion F acts on the rack C In the construction illustrated, the frame A or the window is carried on arms B hinged at B at a point outside the plane of the window.

Pivoted'at A to the underside of the bottom member A of the window frame is one end of a bar C which extends through a slot in the part D1 of the bottom member D of the surrounding frame, that is the frame in which the window frame is'mounted, into a casing E secured to the inner face of themember D- The'inner end portion of the bar C is formed as a sinuous'rack as shown at C and its inner end carriesa 'roller mounted on a pin'and sliding in a channel or guide E fixed to-the casingE. The rack C -engages' a pinionF mounted in bearingsin the casing Eand meshing with a second pinionF rigidly secured to a spindle F shutters and like hinged members the pivotal-axis also mo'unted in bearings in the casing. The

spindle F also has rigidlysecured to it a worm wheel F engagedby a worm 'Gon a'spindle G extending through the casing E and provided at its outer end with anoperating handleG It will be seen that Joy rotating the handle G the pinions F and F can be caused torotate so During the initialmovementirom the'posltion shown in Figurelthe rackC and hence the bar C will be caused to move to the right and also swing outwards about the rollerrC was to effect the initial opening of the window, say, into the posi-H the hinge B while the outward swinging move-' ment applies the necessary force to the window to move it in spite of the fact that the hinge B pivot A and rollerC are during this time nearly in line. f

During operation to cause opening'movement of the window beyond the position shown in Figure 2, the movement of the rack C and 'bar C is'mainly endwise'and it will-be seen that at this time an endwise force is all that is necessary to move the window. On rotation of the handle G to close the window, the opposite operation ocours, and it will thus begseen that theforce applied to the rack C and bar C and by it to the window will always be in the direction necessary to move the window, whatever its position may wheel are preferably made so as to provide an irreversible drive; making it impossible for the window to be moved by a force applied to it for example by the windand that the gearratio of the worm and wormwheel or of the gear wheels F I and F or both may be varied to suit requirements.

It will also be seen that With'the present inven- "tion it is only necessary to leave suflicient room between 'the'bottom member A? of the window frameand the correspondingfmember D of the surrounding frame to accommodate thearm C since theheadof the pivotA} can be countersunk. Bymaking the arm Cjas would be usual,

in the form of a strip of. small thickness therefore, the space which must be left between the a members A and'D can be materially reduced as compared with the previous arrangement referred to in the opening part of the present specification.

It is to be understood that the invention has been described with particular reference to the lowerhorizontal member of a window for the sake 'of convenience only and that the invention is equally applicable to the upper horizontal memher of awindow or to either one of the two edges 1 of a window, shutter or like hinged member which. 1 lie in planes at right angles to the axis of the hinge or hinges whether this axis is vertical, horizontal or inclined.

v Further, the construction more particularly. 7 described above with reference to the drawings is given by way of example only and other constructions may be adopted withinthe scope of the appended claims withoutdeparting fromthis of which lies on the side of the plane thereof to-,

my invention and desire to wards which the window, shutter or like hinged member opens, including in combination an operating bar one end of which is adapted to be pivotally connected to the window'andoperating mechanism acting on the other end ;of the bar comprising a rack rigid with the barand having a main longitudinally extending'part terminat ing at the end adjacent to the pivot connecting the bar to the window in a curved part extending through an angle of more than 90, a pinion'ena gaging the rack, means controllingthe movement of the rack to maintain it always in engagement with the pinion, and means for rotating the pinion whereby during the initial opening movement, the bar islcaused tormove in the direction of its length in one direction and also to swing, Q to the required extent whereas for subsequent opening movement of the window the bar is caused to move in the direction of itslength, in V the opposite direction. I

2. Operating mechanism for hinged windows, shutters and like hinged members the pivotal axis of which lies on the side of the plane thereof towards which thewindow, shutter or like hinged member opens, including in combination an operating bar one end of, which is adapted to be pivotally connected to the window and operating mechanism acting on'the other end of the bar movement of the rack to maintain it always in 1 engagement with the pinion, and means for ro-i' tating the pinion whereby during the initial opening movement, the bar is movedin the direction of its length in one direction and also caused to swing to'the required extent whereas for subsequent opening movement of thewindow the bar is caused, to move in the direction of its length in the opposite direction.

3, Operating mechanism for hingedwindows, shutters and like hinged members the pivotal axis I of which lies on theside'of the plane thereof towards which the window, shutter orlikehinfged member opens, includin I comprising a rack rigid with the bar and having a main longitudinally extending part terminat ating bar one end of which is adapted to be pivotally connected to the window, and operating mechanism acting on the other end of the bar comprising a rack rigid with the bar and having a main longitudinally extending part terminating at the end adjacent to the pivot connecting the bar to the window in a curved part extending through an angle of more than a pinion engaging the rack, means controlling the movement of the rack to maintain it always in engagement with the pinion, and worm and wormwheel mechanism for rotating the pinion whereby during the initial opening movement, the bar is moved in the direction of its length in one irection and also causedto swing to the required extent whereas for subsequent opening movement of the window the bar is caused to move in the direction of its length in the opposite direction.

4. Operating mechanism for hinged windows, shutters and like hinged members the pivotal axis of which lies on the side of the plane thereof towards which the win-dow, shutter or like hinged member opens, including in combination an operating bar one end of which is adapted to be pivotally connected to the window, and operating mechanism acting on the other end of the bar comprising a rack rigid with the bar and having a main longitudinally extending part terminating at the end adjacent to the pivot connecting the bar to the window in a curved part extending through an angle of more than 90, a pinion engaging the rack, pin and slot mechanism controlling the movement of the rack to maintain it always in engagement with the pinion, and worm and wormwheel mechanism for rotating the pinion, whereby on rotation of the pinion to cause the initial opening movement, the bar is moved in the direction of its length in one direction and also caused to swing to the required extent whereas for subsequent opening movement of the window the bar is caused to move in the direction of its length in the opposite direction.

5. Operating mechanism for hinged windows, shutters and like hinged members including in combination an operating bar one end of which is adapted to be pivotally connected to the window and operating mechanism acting on the other end of the bar comprising a rack rigid with the bar and having a main longitudinally extending part terminating at the end adjacent to the pivot connecting the bar to the window in a curved part, a pinion engaging the rack, means controlling the movement of the rack to maintain it always in engagement with the pinion and means for rotating the pinion whereby during the initial opening movement when the pinion is acting on the curved part of the rack the bar is caused to execute a movement which is mainly a swinging movement whereas for subsequent opening movement of the window when the pinion is engaging the longitudinally extending part of the rack, the movement of the bar is mainly in the direction of its length.

6. Operating mechanism for hinged windows,

shutters and like hinged members including in combination an operating bar one end of which is adapted to be pivotally connected to the window and operating mechanism acting on the other end of the bar comprising a rack rigid with the bar and having a main longitudinally extending part terminating at the end adjacent to the pivot connecting the bar to the window in a curved part, a pinion engaging the rack, pin and slot mechanism controlling the movement of the rack to maintain it always in engagement with the pinion, and means for rotating the pinion whereby during the initial opening movement when the pinion is acting on the curved part of the rack the bar is caused to execute a movement which is mainly a swinging movement whereas for subsequent opening movement of the window when the pinion is engaging the longitudinally extending part of the rack, the movement of the bar is mainly in the direction of its length.

7. Operating mechanism for hinged windows, shutters and like hinged members including in combination an operating bar one end of which is adapted to be pivotally connected to the window and operating mechanism acting on the other end of the bar comprising a rack rigid with the bar and having a main longitudinally extending part terminating at the end adjacent to the pivot connecting the bar to the window in a curved part, a pinion engaging the rack, means controlling the movement of the rack to maintain it always in engagement with the pinion and worm and worm wheel mechanism for rotating the pinion whereby during the initial opening movement when the pinion is acting on the curved part of the rack the bar is caused to execute a movement which is mainly a swinging movement whereas for subsequent opening movement of the window when the pinion is engaging. the longitudinally extending part of the rack, the movement of the bar is mainly in the direction of its length.

8. Operating mechanism for hinged windows, shutters and like hinged members including in combination an operating bar one end of which is adapted to be pivotally connected to the window and operating mechanism acting on the other end of the bar comprising a rack rigid with the bar and having a main longitudinally extending part terminating at the end adjacent to the pivot connecting the bar to the window in a curved part, a pinion engaging the rack, pin and slot mechanism controlling the movement of the rack to maintain it always in engagement with the pinion and worm and worm wheel mechanism for rotating the pinion whereby during the initial opening movement when the pinion is acting on the curved part of the rack the bar is caused to execute a movement which is mainly a swinging movement whereas for subsequent opening movement of the window when the pinion is engaging the longitudinally extending part of the rack, the movement of the bar is mainly in the direction of its length.

JACK FOX-WILLIAMS. 

